Visitors
by Sky Hunter
Summary: The people of Pern may think themselves alone in the universe, something that may not be the case. This was written years ago, so there may be more mistakes than usual, but I should be able to clear that up later. Visitors is set on an alternate Pern.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern is copyright to Anne McCaffrey. And as usual, anything you don't recognize is probably mine.

Where: Marweni Weyr(Southern Continent).

When: Turn 1278.

* * *

Moving slowly between the small groups of people by one of the entrances to the Stands of the Hatching Ground at Marweni Weyr, the two women headed for some of the last seats that were still vacant. And after both had glanced down towards the Sands, they quickly sat down before anyone else could beat them to the seats.

"I told you that we should have arrived earlier, Itra. These are hardly the best seats from where to watch the Hatching" the woman who appeared to be the youngest, whispered, brushing a strand of auburn hair away from her face. Then she grinned over at her companion, a slender blonde woman who seemed to be in her late thirties. However, the woman who was called Itra simply shrugged, adjusting the collar on her blouse.

"We'll just have to stretch our necks a little then. Watching this should be worth a little discomfort, won't it Brialli?".

Suddenly a gasp from the audience instantly called the attention of both women back to the Hatching Grounds, just in time to see a large brown break though the shell of his egg.

Brialli snorted, but then she couldn't help but smile as she saw the expressions on the faces of the candidates down at the Sands. To a certain degree she could understand what they had to be feeling now when any of them could be walking off the Sands along with a hatchling who would most likely be their lifelong companion.

However, at the present, most of her attention was directed at four of the candidates; three boys and one girl. Almost unconsciously she crossed her fingers for that her son would be among those who Impressed at this Hatching.

Of-course she shouldn't really have any favorites among those four who had been selected as candidates, but as a mother...

Beside her, Itra chuckled quietly, taking hold of Brialli's hand to give it a light squeeze.

"Calm down dragonrider, Beriin wouldn't have been selected for this if he didn't have a good chance at Impressing at his first try. I can't help but wonder what the pernese would have thought if they knew the true identity of your son and his friends", Itra made sure to whisper the last part so none would happen to overhear it. Not that anyone was likely to over the humming of the adult dragons though..

"I know, I know", then Brialli grinned widely as the brown that had been first to hatch made his choice and Impressed to one of the pernese boys.

"Although I have a feeling of that they would be more astonished by you".

Itra was just about to reply when both she and Brialli were interrupted by the hatching of five more eggs, three greens, a blue and a bronze emerging into the world. And this time, the two women was just as expectant to see who the newly hatched dragonets would choose as everyone else at the Stands.

Brialli and Itra were not the only ones who knew some of the candidates down at the Sands.

"Look at that, the blue went straight for Loegrehn" Itra said, cheering for the boy as he knelt down beside the light blue dragonet as Impression was made.

Nodding, Brialli smiled, silently wondering what color her son would walk off the sands with if he should Impress. Of-course the color didn't matter to her personally, but she knew Beriin very well and the way he were gazing at that bronze left little doubt about what he wished for.

"L'grehn and blue..., " Beralli paused as she waited for Loegrehn to announce the name of his dragonet, "..blue Koreketh".

A low chuckle came from Itra as she watched the bronze choose one of the youngest boys at the Sands, earning him several jealous looks from the other boys.

"I like that dragonet's name though, it suits him" she said a few moments later.

Several more eggs hatched and the two watched silently as the hatchlings headed for the group of candidates. While it wasn't essential, it would certainly be an important event if any of the three remaining candidates whom they were watching; Beriin, Cheorek and Venaket, managed to Impress at least one of the larger colors.

Beralli nodded in agreement, leaning slightly forwards as she noticed that one of the greens were heading for Cheorek, a female would be very useful to the project.. And a second later she chuckled quietly as Impression were made, not to Cheorek however, it was Venaket who was chosen.

Greteyth looked sturdy, and already it seemed like the young green and her rider would make a reliable team, at least if the hatchlings personality turned out to be anything like her riders..

"I think that they will be a good match, although I do regret my bet with Treaylen now.." Beralli said, she had been quite sure of that the girl would have been the one to Impress the gold from this clutch.

"Well, one would have thought that you knew better than to make any bets with Treaylen, and especially not about pernese dragons".

Then she urgently tapped Brialli's shoulder, pointing towards the gold egg just as it cracked and released a wildly protesting hatchling onto the sand. It took a while for the dragonet to right herself, but once she had gotten up on her feet, she appeared as self-assured as any adult gold.

"That one is rather dark don't you think, one could have mistaken her for a bronze if it hadn't been for those swirls of pale gold down her legs", a smile spread across Brialli's face as she watched the young gold take her first steps towards the group of female candidates.

Beside her, Itra shifted in an attempt to find a move comfortable position.

"She seems hesitant. Something tells me that the person she is searching is not among those girls" Itra said.

The tone in her voice left little doubt that she would find it very amusing if the hatchling gold found her match somewhere at the Stands.

Brialli's eyebrows arched slightly as she gazed over at her friend.

:_You aren't influencing her in any way, are you_: she mindspoke.

:_Of-course not, it isn't like I would do such a irresponsible thing. When that gold Impresses, it will be entirely her own decision_:.

With a light shake of her head, Itra gazed back down at the Sands.

Almost all the eggs had hatched by now, and there was only just under a dozen dragonets who hadn't found their match yet, but as Brialli and Itra watched, two Impressions were made simantaneously.

Suddenly Brialli gasped, she hadn't noticed before as the appearance of the gold hatchling had distracted her, but suddenly she spotted Beriin kneeling in front of a unusually small brown dragonet.

* * *

:_A Brown, he Impressed a brown!_: 

Brialli laughed out loud as she hugged her friend. Now she almost couldn't wait to see her son after the last Impression had been made, despite the browns small size, it didn't seem like he were any less healthy than any of the other dragonets in the clutch.

"I can see that" Itra replied with a grin that revealed that she were as happy for Beriin as Brialli was, "his name is Tolaketh by the way. L'grehn and blue Koreketh, Venaket and green Greteyth, B'riin and brown Tolaketh... Now there's only Cheorek left".

Raising her left arm to wave down to her son, Brialli nodded, now there was three dragonets left at the Sands, including the gold. However, there were two eggs that didn't show any signs of hatching, one of them had a thin crack down its side, but it had stopped moving long ago.

"Congratulations" Brialli mouthed, although she doubted that Beriin could see what she were saying at this distance, and he were too busy with the more urgent task of feeding his dragonet anyway.

Then a loud cry called Brialli's attention back to the gold hatchling, who were currently trying to get up into the Stands, just as Itra had predicted.

But when she spotted the girls who were hurrying downwards to stop the dragonet from injuring herself, Brialli frowned. Although the girl had done a good job at disguising herself, dying her hair and skin, it took Brialli only an instant to recognize her.

:_Shards! What's she doing here! Didn't Jemiran make sure that she returned home_:

The frown on Itra's face made it clear that the girl had just earned herself quite a scolding for later.

"That is what I thought to" Brialli replied quietly.

There was nothing either of the women could have done though, as it was obvious that Impression had already been made between the dragonet and the girl, Jesece.

Suddenly Itra muttered something to herself, before she gazed back at Brialli.

:_Unfortunately we can't really give her what she deserve, but I have a feeling of that she and her dragonet should be taken to the projects HQ where she can receive some proper training_:.

Sighing as she saw the triumphant look at Jesece's face as the girl urged her dragonet over to where the dragonets were being fed, Brialli couldn't do anything but agree. Of-course such relocations were normally not done before the dragonet was at least half a turn old, but in Jesece's case it would probably be the best thing to do. That girl was too undiciplined to be trusted if she was allowed to remain at the planet, one thoughtless comment could ruin the entire project...

Brialli shrugged, returning to happier thought such as her son's Impression and the Hatching, it wasn't her responsibility to deal with Jesece and the process of making sure that no-one would have any memories of that there had been a gold in this clutch.

:_At least they say that the dragon always know, so we should cross our fingers for that Jesece have it in her to become a good representant for the project. Seoracth appears to be a fine young dragon though, her off-spring is what really matters_:.

Itra had just finished speaking when the last dragonet, a pale bronze, found his match in Cheorek, making this Hatching a highly successful one for the project.

"C'mon, let's go and see if we can find Beriin" Brialli said, slightly surprised over just how much time that had passed since they first entered the Stands, with everything that had happened it definitely didn't feel like she and Itra had been here for as long as three hours.

"It would probably be less of an effort to just wait for him in the Dining Hall, but he's probably aching for showing us his new friend".

As she stood up, Itra stretched her arms and yawned. At least being seated so close to the exit paid off now as they were able to getaway from the Stands before most of the audience started to leave now when the Hatching was over.

If it was something that had always made Brialli feel uncomfortable it was to be stuck in large crowds, so after the hot air inside the Hatching Ground, that was the last thing she wanted to experience.

"Beriin gave me a tour of the Weyr a few days ago, so we should go this way if we want to get to the weyrling barracks" Itra said as they reached the entrance to another corridor. And almost without slowing, she turned left, heading down the new corridor at a brisk pace.

"Well, I supposed that I should trust in that you know where you are going then"

Brialli nodded a greeting to two senior weyrlings as they passed by.

Although it wasn't really that long to walk from the Stands, the floor was rather uneven as the corridor had obviously been made after the pernese had lost most of the high-tech equipment they had used when constructing the Weyrs, so Brialli were rather glad when they reached the entrance to the barracks. And after talking to the Weyrling Master, she and Itra didn't need much time to find the room where Beriin was.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern belongs to Anne McCaffrey.

Sitting beside Tolaketh on the dragonet's couch, Beriin absently stroked the brown's head as he pondered what had just happened. When he had been selected as one of the four candidates who would attend the Hatching at Marweni Weyr, he had been excited of-course, but how could he have known that it would be like anything like this.

The moment Tolaketh had first spoken to him at the Sands hadn't been something that he had gotten even close to imagining, how could he have Ever imagined that he would feel so whole?  
It was like Tolaketh was a part of himself that he had never known that he was missing, but that he had found so suddenly.

Theres an itch on my back Tolaketh said sleepily, opening one faceted eye slightly to gaze up at his chosen person::_and you are thinking very loud_...:

Beriin smiled as he gave Tolaketh a apologetic pat, before he started scratching the itch that the young brown had complained about.

"I'm sorry, but all this is quite new to me. But I guess that I'll just have to learn to think more quietly".

Then a low giggle from a nearby dragon couch made Beriin turn his head around to frown at the person sitting there. Although he had been glad when he had heard that he would share a room in the weyrling barracks with Loegrehn, Venaket and their dragons, he wasn't so sure about it anymore.

"Oh, be quiet Venaket, don't think that I didn't hear you talking to Greteyth" Beriin said, frowning at the younger girl. And as thinking of that he would most likely have to share the room with Venaket for at least six months, almost made him groan, that girl could be as bad as a dragonling at times..

"But Beriin", Veraket giggled, "I always thought that you were trying to be such a tough guy. Impressing Tolaketh wont make you soft, will it?".

Knowing that it would upset both Tolaketh and Greteyth, Beriin had to fight the urge to grab the pillow from the bed beside the couch and throw it at Venaket. So instead he decided to ignore her. That had always helped with his younger siblings at home.

Well, almost always..

Fortunately it seemed that Greteyth had demanded her person's attention, so Beriin was relieved as he could direct his attention back at Tolaketh. The little brown was almost asleep, but his eyes glittered below partly closed eye-lids.

"Well, well, so here is the newest dragonrider in the family".

Beriin recognized Itra's voice immediately, and getting down from the couch as quickly as he could without disturbing the dragonet, he hurried over to the two women who had just entered the room.  
And after avoiding an attempt by Itra to ruffle his hair, he grinned to his mother, Brialli.

"Yeah, I guess that I am. Unfortunately Tolaketh is sleeping now, but I'm sure that he'll want to meet you tomorrow".

Turning around, he indicated his dragonet, only now actually noticing the unusual coloration of Tolaketh's hide, although it was mainly a dark chocolate brown, the swirls of a much lighter shade on his back and along his sides made a noticeable contrast to the rest.

"Congratulations son, and such a beautiful dragonet too. I'm sure that hell grow to become a fine dragon" Brialli said as she smiled back to Beriin, "I'll be looking forwards to talking with both of you tomorrow".

Nodding in greeting to Loegrehn and Venaket, she then indicated the clothes that each of the weyrlings had chosen to wear on the Hatching Feast.

"But I believe that its time that all three of you put on your finery and get to the Dining Hall, you shouldn't arrive late for such a occasion as the Hatching Feast".

His brown eyes glittering briefly with humor, Beriin agreed, while he didn't really want to leave Tolaketh, the Hatching and everything had left him starving. So the subject of food was quite tempting, although he hadn't quite gotten used to the pernese food yet.

"Will you two be there?" he asked, though he had already guessed the answer.

"I'm afraid that we can't. Both Itra and I have work to do. But I promise that we will come for a visit tomorrow", smiling, Brialli bent down to give her son a hug.

"Your fellow weyrlings will be there of-course, so none of you will be completely alone. You know how to contact us if theres anything you need".

After his mother and Itra had left, Beriin walked back to Tolaketh and gazed down at the sleeping dragonet for a while before he went to change into the clothes he had chosen to wear at the Feast.

* * *

Stopping in the entrance to the Dining Hall, Beriin and the three others couldn't help but wonder about just how different the Hall suddenly appeared. There was no doubt that the weyrfolk had made quite an effort to prepare for the Hatching Feast..

Just the smells almost made him drool.

"This is great" Venaket whispered.

"I doubt that any of us will manage Not to have fun. Have any of you thought about a partner for the dance?"

Beriin saw the grin she sent Loegrehn, and with a frown he poked his elbow into the girl's side.

"Stop acting like an idiot" he muttered.

Not for the first time he wished that he would have ended up in another group, but at the same time he didnt want anything to have been different as that would probably have meant that he would never have Impressed Tolaketh. And no matter how annoying Venaket could be at times, she did have her good moments...

"If you stop poking me" Venaket hissed back, her bluish-grey eyes narrowing as she gave him a all too sweet smile.

"Thirteen 'turns' old are Suposed to be a constant source of annoyance. As the cliché goes".

Beriin sighed.

"Let's just have fun ok. I don't know about you, but I would definetly want to talk with the other weyrlings. At the very least were supposed to spend several months here at Marweni you know, and getting to know other people will probably be a good idea".

Not waiting for a reply from the others, he headed for a table that was occupied by several of the candidates he had seen in the candidate barracks during the last few days, now most of them were weyrlings though. But as it was several vacant chairs by that table, they probably wouldnt mind if they got some company.

:_Have fun, I and Cheorek are going to find a place closer to the Harpers_: Venaket suddenly mindspoke, and Beriin glanced towards them to show that he had heard. Acctually he didn't mind that she were going somewhere else at all, it was just fine to him if she found someone else to bother.

"Hey there, why don't you join us? You're B'riin, right?".

"Yep that's me" Beriin replied quickly, making a mental note of that he would have to remember that B'riin was the name he had picked before the Hatching, to have it really if he Impressed. It could sound strange if he continued to call himself Beriin, at least so anyone pernese heard it.

Giving the weyrlings who already sat by the table a quick smile, Beriin sat down at one of the vacant chairs, Loegrehn following his example shortly after.

"It must be somewhat strange for both of you to suddenly be responsible for a dragon so soon after you arrived to the Weyr. Myself, I have been here for several Hatchings, so I'm probably the one to ask if you need any help" said one of the girls, Jahran. At nineteen turns she was older than Beriin(although he couldnt quite remember the difference between a turn and a standard year), and during the days in the barracks, he had noticed that she was a person who liked to take charge. Not that it was neccessarilly a bad trait though..

"Thank you Jahran, I'll keep that in mind" Beriin replied, forcing back a grin, "too bad that you didn't Impress though".

The older girl simply snorted, "ah, that just means that my own dragon haven't been shelled yet. But I'm sure that it will happen soon", then she shrugged and poured some wine into the glass in front of her. Although no-one commented on it, it was obvious that she weren't feeling entirely comfortable in the company of so many who had Impressed.

"Congratulations to you both though, blue Koreketh and brown Tolaketh, wasn't it?".

Now it was one of the boys who had spoken, a hefty young man whom Beriin was pretty certain of came from High Reaches. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't remember the boy's name, so he simply nodded.

"Thats right R'wen, and yours was a bronze...,Harorth?" Loegrehn asked, sending Beriin a wry grin.

:_Let's hope your brown will be better at remembering names than you are_:.

As he couldn't show any signs of that Loegrehn had just mindspoken to him, Beriin took a deep breath and accepted the glass with white wine which was offered to him by one of the other weyrlings. Even if he had never been a person who were particulary fond of wine and the like, it probably wouldnt hurt to have a glass or two just for this one occasion.  
Beside him, Rwen nodded at what Loegrehn had just said.

"Harorth is my bronze, yes" he said with badly disguised pride. Not that any of the weyrlings by the table minded though, they all knew that they were just as besotted with their own dragons.

"But..., it sounds like dinner is ready, so let us make our way over to the serving table. The Hatching have left me starving" Beriin said. As much as he enjoyed a chance to talk about Tolaketh, the prospect of food was more urgent at the present, not that he would mind to get rid of the taste of the wine.

Pushing back the chair, he stood up and headed over to the serving table along with the others, smiling as he first now noticed that his fellow weyrlings had made sure to pick a table close to where the food was. He didn't mind at all though, as it meant that he didn't have to wait so long to get some food onto his platter.  
Hopefully no-one heard his rumbling stomach either..

Then he returned to the table after acquiring some meatrolls, a few thick slices of cheese and bread, as well as a small piece of some kind of vegetable pie and a glass of water. Having never found anything with meat particulary tempting, he tried to avoid it as much as he could. At least he had heard that there was a wide variety of food available in a Weyr, so hopefully he wouldn't have to live on bread and porridge all the time he thought with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern is copyright to Anne McCaffrey.

* * *

**Later, in the weyrling barracks.**

:_What! You're saying that they actually decided to let Jesece stay_:

After her rather loud outburst, Venaket sat up in her bed to give her friends a rather annoyed stare.

:_It seems that they decided that spending some time here at Pern might teach her some dicipline, she did Impress a gold after all. So it do have some sense, no matter how annoying_: Beriin replied, he had no less annoyed when he had first heard the announcement a little earlier.

Jesece herself were probably even more annoyed though, as she were definitely not the kind of person who would have wanted to spend months at such a primitive backwater planet like Pern. Not that she had much of a choice in this matter though, the decisions of the people in charge was usually final.

If only he could have been there when Jesece was informed of the decision of the project leaders, Beriin thought with a wry smile. To be told that she would have to stay at Pern till they decided otherwise had certainly not been in her plans when she went and Impressed that gold.

:_Oh, if I only could have seen her face_..: Cheorek said, chuckling out loud at the same time as he pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose.

:_That would have been a memorable moment don't ya think:._

The three others nodded, and then they all glanced over at their dragonets to make sure that they were still sleeping. And a moment later they grinned at each other as Koreketh uttered a particulary loud snore.

"Hows Aelth faring though? None of us got much of a chance to get a good look at him earlier" Loegrehn asked, speaking aloud as talking about their dragonets were hardly a subject they would have to keep secret.

"Sound asleep, just as yours. We should probably go to bed soon though, it is the fact that we have to get up early tomorrow to feed and oil our new friends you know" Cheorek said, smiling at the thought of the dragonet he had Impressed just a few hours earlier.

Beriin nodded in understanding, although he and the other hadn't known each other for more than a few weeks before they came to Pern, the dragonets were already a topic they found very easy to talk about.

"Oh, it's still no more than half an hour since sunset. I would say that it is still a little early to think about going to bed, we can certainly talk for a while longer".

None of the other disagreed, when they were 'alone' in the Weyr it was actually quite nice to have someone to talk with.

"But about Jesece..., I really hope that she wont cause any problems. I would hate it if she decided to start bothering us" said Venaket,

:_Back at the project HQ, she was Not a nice person at all. Why they gave her permission to come to Pern at all is beyond me_:

Although he hadn't really talked to Jesece before, Beriin had heard enough of rumors about the girl, so somehow he felt sorry for whoever that shared a room with her. Hopefully it would be someone who could deal with her behaviour.

Then he leaned slightly forwards to stroke Tolaketh's side lightly, listening to the brown's breathing.

"The Weyrlingmaster seemed to be a tough guy though, and I doubt that any of the goldriders will let Jesece get away with any bad behaviour either. Since the Weyrwomen have to assist with the running of the Weyr its essential that they're capable of handling that responsibility".

Now when he had thought about it, Beriin did feel that he were starting to feel a little tired after the Hatching and the Feast, but he wasn't ready to go to bed quite yet. He couldn't suddenly change his mind just a few minutes after he had said that they should spend some more time talking.

"If we are really lucky, we won't be seeing much of her at all" Loegrehn said, "let's hope that she'll soon find out that having a gold dragon isn't aseasy as she thought".

Not one of the four disagreed with that. But still, for the project's sake, they did hope that Jesece really would improve, as another gold dragon would be extremely valuable.

"Let's find a nicer subject to talk about, shall we. Like our beautiful new friends?".

Vekaket grumbled as she stepped out of her bed to sit down beside Greteyth's couch.

For once Beriin was glad for that Venaket was present, anything was better than muttering about their dislike of Jesece. Too bad that Cheorek had been given a room closer to the exit of the weyrling barracks, but it made sense that the larger dragons had less of a distance to walk through the barracks as that would make it less likely that they knocked anything down. But still, it might have made things easier if they had all been assigned to the same room, especially at those times that they needed privacy.

"Good idea. Anyone else who almost can't wait till tomorrow when our dragonets will be awake again?" Beriin asked, feeling almost sad at the thought of that it would take weeks before Tolaketh and the others would begin to spend more time awake. While it was necessary for the dragonets, he wouldn't have minded it if he would have more time to speak with Tolaketh. Anyway, he would just have to be patient till the little brown got older.

"Of-course I do, so I'm glad that well be spending most of the night sleeping. I wouldn't want to have to wait all those hours waiting for Greteyth to wake up again. Even if she looks so deceptively sweet when she's sleeping.."

Venaket stroked her green's headknobs tenderly as she smiled, "and look at that bluish spot just below her eye. Looks rather strange against the rest of her hide, doesn't it?".

Beriin chuckled.

"That's true. Although the pernese dragons are restricted to five colors, they can be quite noticeable anyway. There's a lot of variations within each color".

Gazing at each other, all four grinned, and then Loegrehn yawned.

"Perhaps we should agree upon that it is time to go to bed?" he asked.

"Watching Koreketh sleep is making ME sleepy".

Then he leaned backwards against the wall, "I wonder how it will be like to wake up tomorrow. Now when we all have a young dragon to take care of..".

No protests came from any of the others, so after Cheorek had left for his own room, Beriin and the others wished each other a good nights sleep and went to bed. However, it took some time before Beriin finally fell to sleep, there was so many things that had happened this day.

Now when he had Tolaketh, what would his life be like in the future?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern is copyright ot Anne McCaffrey.

* * *

:_You look so funny when you're sleeping, are you supposed to have your mouth open like that?_:

Along with the voice speaking in his head and a sudden assault of urgent hunger, B'riin was startled awake, and he sat up even before he had actually opened his eyes.

"Huh?" he managed to say, as he had never been much of a morning person, it took some time before he recalled the events of the previous day and the reason for that he was being awakened so early. By the scant amount of light that came through the window, it seemed that the sun was about to rise.

:_I'm very hungry now B'riin, some food would be nice_..:.

With a groan, B'riin rolled over on his belly and reached out with his arm to stroke Tolaketh's nose.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Tolaketh. Just wait while I get dressed, ok?"

:_Good, Greteyth and her rider have already gone. Koreketh is trying to wake his rider now,_: Tolaketh paused.

:O_h, he stole the pillow_:.

B'riin yawned as he swung his legs out of the bed, sitting there for a few moments before he stood up and headed over to the chest by the foot of the bed to get his clothes.

"Good morning L'grehn" he said with a grin to his friend, who was unsuccessfully trying to convince Koreketh to give back the pillow.

"Good morning, hah!", L'grehn snorted, "c'mere you pillow-stealing monster!"

Trying to snatch the pillow from Koreketh's jaws, the young man sighed as the blue dragonet threw the pillow to the other side of the room.

"Ah, you'll just have to get used to it. We're both going to be stuck with our dragons for the rest of our lives you know" B'riin teased, quickly getting on his shirt. Not surprisingly, Tolaketh was quite eager to get his breakfast now and he didn't want to keep his dragonet waiting for longer than absolutely necessary.

:_I'm not a burden to you, am I_:

Tolaketh hummed deep in his throat as he looked up at B'riin.

"Of-course not, I was just joking" B'riin replied, giving the little brown a reassuring pat before they headed for the exit. If he remembered the instructions from the candidate master correctly, there should be a bowl of meat waiting just outside, so Tolaketh wouldn't have to wait so long to be fed.

Not today at least..

Just as he had though, there was two bowls with meat standing just to the left of the exit, and grabbing one of them before Tolaketh could get to it, he hurried outside.

"It will probably be a warm day, so I thought that you could just as well could have your breakfast outside" he said before Tolaketh could protest, and although he didn't appear to be sharing his persons opinion, the brown quietly followed him outside.

Just a few minutes later, the last scrap of meat was gone and Tolaketh appeared to be satisfied, so B'riin placed the bowl beside him on the bench.

"Do you think that you can stay awake for long enough for me to oil your hide before you sleep again?",

Indicating the sandy area a few meters away where several dragonets were already sleeping, B'riin grinned at Venaket as she came over to give him the jar of oil she had used for Greteyth.

Suddenly Tolaketh raised his head and snorted.

:_Who are they?_:

"Good morning kids, it's good to see you again", both grinning widely, Brialli and Itra walked into sight, nodding a greeting to the Weyrling Master before they stopped by the bench where B'riin sat.

Very glad that his mother had managed to come for a visit(although the HQ didnt encourage it), B'riin smiled as he stood up.

"Tolaketh, this is my mother, Brialli, and her friend Itra" he said, scratching the browns head-knobs as the little dragon gazed up at the two women.

:_Hello_: he said, appearing to be somewhat confused as he sniffed at Itra

:P_erhaps they would like to help you to oil my hide.._:

Laughing at Tolaketh's sly tone, Itra shook her head, "perhaps another day little one. Brialli and I have other things to do you see, so unfortunately we can't stay here for long". Then she bent down to pat Tolaketh lightly on the underside of his jaw, gazing into his eyes as she did so.

:_You are different, why?_: the little brown asked, appearing even more confused as he turned his head to gaze at his person. But almost instantly he turned his eyes back at Itra, the faceted orbs whirling with increasing agitation.

"Relax Tolaketh, it's nothing to worry about" B'riin said, suddenly feeling quite anxious as he hadn't expected that his dragon would have been capable of sensing such things at such a young age. It could be that Tolaketh had been cued by something in his mind, but he hoped not, as their mental screen was supposed to make that impossible.

:_Ok then, but can't you oil my hide now.. I'm itching and I want to sleep_..: Tolaketh muttered, continuing to stare at Itra even as he leaned against his person.

As B'riin gazed at his mother, she simply smiled.

"It's nothing to worry about. He's a bright young dragon, although you may find it necessary to impress upon him that he cant under any circumstances reveal any unusual things he gets from your mind to any others" she said quietly.

Starting the task of rubbing oil into Tolaketh's hide, B'riin nodded, fortunately it seemed that the dragons were good at keeping their riders secrets..

However, it was obvious that Tolaketh was both facinated and confused at Itra's presence, the dragonet just couldn't understand what was so different about her. But as long as his rider didn't mind, he guessed that it was ok.

"It really is Tolaketh".

While he continued to oil the brown's hide, B'riin couldnt help but wonder about just how much more noticeable the coloration of Tolaketh's hide was out in the daylight. And especially now when the oil added a sheen to his hide. Suddenly nuances in the colors that he hadn't noticed inside became much clearer.

"He's a real beauty that one, just as I told you" Itra said, before she glanced up at a group of dragons flying above, smiling as they suddenly disappeared when going _between_.

Finding that he liked to be the center of attention, Tolaketh turned his head around to gaze at his left side, studying his own hide.

:_I like my color too,_: he said with a happy chirp:_but can I sleep now since you are done with oiling me?_:

"Of-course, of-course," B'riin said, "I'm sorry for taking so long".

Then he walked with Tolaketh over to the sandy area, waiting patiently while the brown laid down beside Greteyth, folding his wings in such a fashion that they shielded his eyes from the sunlight, promptly falling to sleep.

Although B'riin knew that no harm could come to Tolaketh, there were several adult dragons who would be watching over the brown and his clutch-mates, he hesitated for several moments before he walked back to join his mother, Itra and Venaket. Then he indicated the entrance to the lower caverns.

"Perhaps you would like to join me and the others for breakfast?" he asked.

Just this first day as a dragonrider, he wouldn't mind being seen with his mother, and she probably had a few instructions to give to him and the others too.

"Well..., I guess we can stay for half an hour or so" Itra said, giving him a wink, "are you sure that you don't regret your choice to come here? I'm certain of that there would have been a dragonling at home who might have chosen you as a rider eventually".

B'riin snorted and shook his head.

"You know as much about the pernese dragons as I do, I would never trade Tolaketh for anything even this soon after I Impressed him. He's my dragon and I'm his person".

The mere thought of the possibility that he might never have Impressed the little brown, made B'riin feel uncomfortable, he could never have done without his dragon now.

Ignoring Itra's chuckle, he walked quickly after Venaket into the lower caverns, the prospect of breakfast made his mouth water. Not to forget the tempting smells that came from the Dining Hall, undoubtely they were serving some of the leftovers from the Feast.

"Stop teasing the poor boy now, Itra, you know just as well as me just how strong the link between a pernese dragon and its rider are" Brialli said, "it's no less /right/ because of that".

B'riin silently agreed, the relationship between a pernese dragon and its rider was by far stronger than that of the dragons he was used to.

"How's my siblings doing though, have you heard anything from them since yesterday?" he asked, gazing around for a vacant table as they entered the Dining Hall.

:_Yep_: Itra replied.

:_Trelaar wanted me to let you know that she'll 'hate' you forever. As you very well know, the HQ won't consider her for candidacy before next year. It seems like pernese dragons are becoming quite popular among the young men and women back home_:.

As B'riin had expected, his mothers friend didn't appear too pleased about that fact.

"That's nice to hear, I'm sure that the project leaders are thrilled ".

With a shrug, he looked back at the sleeping dragonets. So like Trelaar to respond in such a way. Too bad that he wouldn't be able to introduce Tolaketh to her for several months yet. Suddenly B'riin's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked forwards again, seeing Jesece in the company of a familiar young woman.

But that young woman was certainly not someone he had expected to see at Pern at all, unless the HQ had decided to change their policies considerably..

:_Hi there, B'riin, long time no see!_:

With a few long steps, dragging Jesece with her, she more or less pounced at B'riin, a glint of yellow visible in her brown eyes for a moment as she gave him a hug.

:_Or do you prefer that I call you Briin now that you're the rider of a pernese dragon:_ she asked, sounding quite pleased over having surprised him.

:_B'riin would do fine, Catene. I have to get used to that name now when I'm a weyrling. What are you doing here though?_:

:_They needed someone too keep an eye at Jesece, and since I'm her friend, but not likely to take any crap from her.. The project leaders also want to find out if it's possible for a pernese dragon to Impress to someone who's not human. And since they happened to choose me, I'm here_:

Resting her left arm on the shoulders of a not too happy-looking Jesece, Catene chuckled.

"I must admit that I look forwards to spend time here. The Weyrs have always facinated me. Not to forget the dragons, so very different from my own kind".

B'riin had to make an effort not to laugh. That Catene and Jesece had ended up as friends was always something that had confused him. But at the same time, Catene had a restraining influence on Jesece, that did make the slightly younger girl tolerable at times.

With a shake of his head, B'riin grinned back at Catene. Not that he was particulary happy about the possibility of sitting by the same table as Jesece, but at the same time he did want to talk with Catene.

In the meantime, Brialli had found a vacant table, so when she called to them to come and join her; they headed quickly over to the table.

"L'grehn and Ch'rek will probably be along shortly, they're in the process of oiling their dragonets right now" Itra informed them.

Wrinkling her nose in disgust at the smell of roasting meat coming from the kitchens,she tooka handful of what looked like a mix of herbs and small gemstones out of a small pouch on her belt. Then she dropped it in the cup with hot water that Brialli had brought.

"You should have seen L'grehn and Koreketh a while ago, that blue is rather sly", a smile spread across B'riin's face at the memory of the pillow-stealing dragonet, "he snatched L'grehn's pillow right from under his head".

Venaket giggled, " I wish that I could have seen that. It sounds to me that Koreketh already knows how to deal with his human".

But a moment later she stood up, declaring that she wasn't going to wait a moment longer to get some breakfast. And being as hungry as his fellow candidate, B'riin couldn't do anything but to agree. Although he usually didn't become hungry before late morning, it seemed likely that he would have to get used to that his body would react when Tolaketh was hungry, to mention one thing that he had been taught in the lessons while he still was a candidate.

Taking several slices of bread and some boiled eggs, B'riin returned to the table, beginning the task of removing the shell from the first egg.

"Anyway, what I forgot to say is that you must tell Trelaar that I wish her good luck and that I hope that she will be selected to become a candidate" he said, pouring some water up into the glass he had brought from the serving table.

"Of-course I will".

After giving her son a quick smile, Brialli bit into the apple Catene had just tossed to her.

"But there's a chance that she might Impress at the project facilities, some of the golds there are almost old enough to Rise now, so soon only the most promising candidates will be sent to Pern".

As he was chewing at a piece of bread, B'riin could only nod, but he also wondered about which of the golds at HQ that would be the first to Rise. Not that he knew any of the riders, but that event was certainly significant for the project. From what he had heard, there was some people who didnt like that the project had gotten as much support as it had. But it seemed unlikely that the project would be shut down now when it had been active for so many years and with such a high rate of success.

Still, he couldn't help but be a bit disappointed at hearing that his younger sister might never come to Pern. It was never easy to say what the people in charge might decide, so it might be a long time till he could see her if she Impressed back home.

"Then I'm glad that I was able to come here now" Catene said, putting an end to the conversation between her and Jesece.

"Despite what others may think, there are many assets with living here", the shadow of a smile appeared on Catene's lips before she crammed a piece of meatroll onto her mouth.

"There's thread of-course, and some would say that the planet's society is primitive by our standards. I would agree with that, to a degree, but it is an excellent learning experience—one that I am going to enjoy"

To B'riin, it seemed quite clear that Catene's last comment was directed at a certain person.

"That is the spirit!" Brialli said.

Then she pushed back the chair before she slowly stood up.

"But it seems that I and Itra have to leave now, I'm afraid that we are needed elsewhere, yet again. Unfortunately I think that it will be some weeks till our next visit, so I hope that all of you will have a good time in the meantime. Take care of each other and be careful, ok?".

Nodding to show that he understood, B'riin also stood up and gave his mother a quick hug, "of-course we will" he said. With Tolaketh to take care of and his friends to talk with, he didn't have the slightest doubt about that he wouldnt manage. Especially now when Catene had arrived..

"Thats right, you two shouldn't worry at all. We are healthy young adults and fully capable of taking care of ourselves, aren't we?"

Beriin almost shuddered as he saw the gleam in Venaket's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern is copyright to Anne McCaffrey.

* * *

Sevendays later, B'riin had gotten quite used to life as a weyrling. Of-course things weren't easy, there was a quickly growing and very active dragonet to feed and otherwise care for, all of which had to be done manually. In addition to that, came the various lessons and the chores throughout the Weyr, that didn't exactly leave him with much free time either.

He had even gotten used to eating meat. It was the matter of that he worked a lot harder and it hadn't taken him long to realize that his body just wasn't getting what it needed on the more basic diet of the pernese without animal flesh, neither did he had to answer awkward questions all the time. Still, he had to admit that he was a bit squeamish about the whole thing, the stronger-tasting meat still left him feeling a bit unwell.

Not that a slight inconvenience such as that wasn't a small price to pay considering what he had gained though.

Either way, his days usually ended with more or less stumbling into the barracks after enjoying a short talk with his friends, to promptly fall to sleep once he had safetly placed himself on his bunk. Sometimes he managed to exchange a few words with Tolaketh, but that was more the exception than the rule, as the young brown was usually sound asleep by the time he made it to his bed.

_And today is no different_, B'riin thought as he entered the room he shared with several other weyrlings, after having said good night to his friends. With a tired smile, he then looked over at Tolaketh, as the dragonets had grown, he and the other weyrlings had moved the couches to one side of the room-- while their bunks was on the other. That way there was a wide 'corridor' where the young dragons could move about without accidentally knocking over anything, and they were still close enough to their riders to see and smell them if any should wake up during the night.

Undressing to his undergarments and getting into his bunk, B'riin took a last look at his dragon before he extingushed the candle he had brought with him from the common room. Closing his eyes, he did his best to ignore the complaints of tired muscles, and was soon asleep.

00000000

:_You have to wake up, B'riin. Something isn't right..._:

B'riin muttered, still half asleep and he certainly didn't want to wake up. He was so very tired, couldn't whatever it was wait until tomorrow...

:_Wake up! They say that a dragon from Southern Weyr just arived, something very large fell down close to the Hold. I don't understand what, but they are upset, there's something strange about everything!_:

Seconds later, B'riin had no choice but to wake up, as Tolaketh did his best to pull his rider off the bunk. Then he opened his eyes to look up at Tolaketh, the brown's eyes whirling with reds and yellows, clearly speaking of how upset he was.

"Sssh, I'm awake, relax" he said, freeing himself from the dragonet's grasp, stroking the head-knobs in an attempt to calm him. Right now, he doubted that he would be able to get any useful information out of the young brown, but something was clearly happening-- he could hear a great number of dragons vocalize all over the Weyrbowl.

B'riin told the dragonet to stay inside the barracks, and with the brown walking just behind him, he walked out of the room. It wasn't really surprising to see several of his friends out there too, some with dragonets trailing after them. And repeating to Tolaketh that he was not to follow him outside, B'riin nodded to Venaket and L'grehn before they moved towards the main exit.

Immediately, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight that met him. All around the dark walls of the bowl, there were red and yellow lights, and it took him a moment to realize that it was the eyes of most of the dragons in the Weyr. Upset by something, they had came out on their ledges, and some had even taken to the air-- hovering above while they made sure that a patch of ground was clear for them to land on.

"What by the first egg is going on!"

Stopping beside him, Venaket gazed around with a anxious look at her face. Then she suddenly gave him a light poke before pointing out the Weyrleader and the Weyrwoman, speaking with a rider that B'riin couldn't recognize. Obviously that one had to be the rider from Southern that Tolaketh had said brought the news that had caused the unexpected uproar in the middle of the night.

"I have no...", B'riin didn't finish as he hurried forwards, intercepting the Weyrlingmaster.

"Excuse me, sir. But our dragons woke us up, something upset them, but they couldn't really understand. What is going on?"

Looking up, and then back at B'riin and the others, the Weyrlingmaster pulled a hand through her greying hair.

"You three should really get back to the barracks, to care for your dragonets. I can tell you as much as that something very large has fallen close to Southern Hold, big enough to cause a bit of an earthquake I heard. That's all I have heard through, through Craichalth, so back to the barracks all of you. If I see any of you back outside till I have spoken to the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman, all it will gain you is additional chores to the end of the turn".

With an affirmative nod, B'riin glanced after the Weyrlingmaster as she continued on her way over to the leaders of the Weyr, then he turned on his heal to head back to the barracks. If there was anything he had learned not to do, it was to go against anything the Weyrlingmaster told him. At times, she had made him want to sink into the ground, but she was fair most of the time-- and certainly a good teacher.

Something that worried him though, was the object that had fallen. He really didn't know enough about what had happened, but the pernese knew a bit about meteors, asteroids and such, certainly the Weyrlingmaster would have mentioned it if it had been any of that.

So what was it?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern is copyright to Anne McCaffrey. The characters are still mine, however.

* * *

Meeting by one of the storage rooms furthest into the barracks a few minutes later-- L'grehn, B'riin, Ch'rek, Venaket and Jesece waited in silence for the last of their group to arrive. It was a risk to take certainly, but with the additional pieces of information they had been able to gain through their dragonets, they had decided that it was really no other choice. However, the fact that it was Jesece who had been able to find out the most about what was going on with the assistance of her gold, that left a bad taste in B'riin's mouth. While she hadn't actually said anything, he couldn't help but notice the trace of a smirk at her tanned face, even in the badly lit part of the barracks where they were standing.

:_I'm sorry about taking so long, but I had to use a few tricks to get past the Candidate Master_: Catene said when she arrived a minute later. Then she paused to look at her friends, before allowing a look of worry to appear on her face.

:_More worrying however, was that I tried to contact the monitoring stations, all of them. None of them replied_:

B'riin looked at her, for a moment hoping that she was joking, although he did know better than to think that she wouldn't be serious about something like that. Now more than ever though, he was thankful for the mental screen, as it would keep Tolaketh from hearing anything that would confuse the dragonet too much. Sooner or later, they would have to tell their dragons more of-course, but not until they were old enough to know to keep secrets.

"How is that possible? Those places are supposed to be secure, and provide us with assistance when we need it.." Jesece hissed. And with a scowl, she looked towards the room where they had left gold Seoracth and the others, the young gold making sure that the others stayed put.

:_I don't know, Jesece. It doesn't take much thinking to realize that something must have gone wrong though. From what we have been able to gather though, it sounds like the object that fell to the ground by Southern Hold is some kind of space ship. The images I was able to get from the dragons weren't very conclucive though, so I can't really say who the ship belongs to_:

Sending another soothing thought in response to another quiery from Tolaketh, B'riin drummed his fingers nervously against the wall next to him, clearing his throat once Catene had finished speaking.

"Another thing that I don't like the least, is that there hasn't been any signs of the HQ either. Normally they would have cleared up such a thing before it got out, like they do when a rider/dragon pair are recalled" he said. The sound of this, he didn't like it, not at all...

Next, Ch'rek straightened himself, apparently having done some thinking.

:_My opinion would be that some of us go there to have a look, and to hell with the consequences. One, we may be able to find out more about why the monitoring stations aren't answering. Two, it could be that the ship and what might be in side it could endanger the project, and Pern. At least we would know a bit more about what we are dealing with_:

With that, he looked over at Catene, and it was obvious that the two were mindspeaking privately. It was not something that Catene quite approved of, as B'riin noticed by the look on her face, and the discussion went on for a long time-- making him move uncomfortable as he began to worry about that someone would walk up to them.

Especially the Weyrlingmaster, since there was no saying when she might have had her talk with the Weyrwoman and the Weyrleader, and come to check on the weyrlings. Standing in the back of the barracks, in the company of a candidate that really shouldn't be there in the middle of the night, that was something bound to get them into trouble if she caught them.

He would also love to know what Ch'rek was planning.

Then he was distracted for several moments as there was a squabble between Tolaketh and Seoracth, one wanting to go outside, the other saying no. It didn't take long to reassure the brown dragonet again, promising that he would be back very soon, but B'riin couldn't quite manage to keep himself from glaring at Jesece. Maybe she hadn't deliberately started trouble this time, but he wouldn't pass up on a opportunity to glare.

:_Very well, I'll do it. But you will owe me for this, if we run into any trouble especially_: Catene said abruptly, making B'riin turn his attention back to her and the others. And as he looked at his friend, she appeared to be taller than any of them, although the effect was gone when she turned around to leave. Knowing her though, he did suspect that it hadn't been an entirely false impression.

:_I'll see you, and whoever else you think should go, at the beast pasture furthest from the Weyr in one hour. You better be there in time, as I'm not going to hang around to be seen: _

Once Catene had left, B'riin grimaced. Of-course he wanted to find out more about what had happened as much as the others, but he did not like the thought of leaving Tolaketh, the dragonet was anxious enough as it was. Not to forget that going running off with as little information as they had didn't sound like a good idea, even now when his mind wasn't as its clearest as tired as he still was.

"Should we really do this now, when the Weyr is so stressed out? Sneaking out now is rather risky, and we would get a heap of trouble if we're caught".

:_No doubt_, Ch'rel agreed with a nod.

_:Which is exactly why only one of us will go. Less noticeable than a group of people, and the rest of us can work together to create an impression of that the missing person is still here. B'riin, I know that Tolaketh will not like you leaving, but I think it would be the best if you is the one to go_:

Ch'rel paused for a few moments as his eyes unfocused, a sure sign that he was speaking to his bronze, Aelth. And soon the dragonets came out of the room where they had been waiting, wasting little time in joining their 'riders'.

:_Tolaketh will probably have gone back to sleep in an hour, what if he wakes up though:_

:_I...and Aelth have been practicing a bit. Both of us working together can make sure that Tolaketh will remain asleep till you get back, he'll never notice_:

Looking rather nervous as he said that, since they weren't supposed to reveal any mind talents they had to their dragonets anytime soon, Ch'rel gave a quick smile. Even if none of his friends would say anything, it could still give him problems later.

It wasn't really surprising, B'riin had known Ch'rel for long enough to know that the other young man would sometimes break certain established rules if his ambition got the better of him. But while he was nervous about letting his fellow weyrling do something like that, he still allowed himself a wry grin, before he nodded.

:_Ok, I'll go. But I want L'grehn and Venaket to help, and you better be careful_:

Just then, Seoracth warned them of that the Weyrlingmaster was coming, and as there was no more time to talk-- they had to hurry back to their rooms.

00000

The hour passed fairly quickly, despite that B'riin nearly fell asleep and would have missed the whole thing if Venaket hadn't came to wake him. How she had managed to stay awake, he couldn't understand, and she was nearly annoyingly cheerful as she followed him to the exit of the barracks.

Tolaketh slept soundly though, fortunately.

But worry still bothered B'riin as he made his way across the Weyr bowl, making sure to stay in the shadows, and to one of the smaller tunnels that led outside. To his relief, it wasn't guarded, and he managed to get past the door and outside without being challenged.

A lot more luck that he deserved really..

Moving quietly along the fence of the feeding grounds, he was glad that he had thought of putting on a pair of boots, even at night there could be an assortment of snakes and other creatures in the grass-- neither of which he wanted to step on with bare feet. He did wish that he had been able to bring some warmer clothes though, but he had really not wanted to wake up the weyrlings he shared a room with by rummaging through his chest.

At one time, he had to duck in under some bushes as a dragon flew overhead, but it didn't see him as far as he could tell. If only because it wasn't looking for anyone on the ground, wandering around at a time when he was supposed to be inside.

Not so long after, about five minutes at most, he reached the field where he was supposed to meet Catene. There was no sign of her however, though he did notice that that a number of herdbeasts nearby were a bit nervous as he climbed up to sit on top of the fence. Moments later however, the spooked beasts fled, and a slight movement he saw out of the corner of his eye, warned him of that someone was approaching.

Close by was a group of trees, and as he turned his head to look, the source of the disturbance appeared.

First raising its head to scan the sky, making sure that no-one was up there to see, a dragon stepped out on the grassy area between the trees and the fence. Probably the pernese would have seen it as a dragon, though it really couldn't be mistaken for any dragon they were familiar with. There was its horns of-course, curving back from the top of its head, and its large, yellow eyes-- more luminous than a pernese dragon would ever have. Its wings were different too, longer and narrower than Tolaketh's wings would ever be.

The fact that this dragon walked at its hind-legs would probably have caused no small deal of surprise.

Neither its color was anything that would have been seen on a pernese dragon, its skin mainly being a pearly grey striped with dark shades of blue, with a few markings of green running down its legs. And in all, the lenght of it was probably about nine meters from its muzzle and to the end of its tail.

B'riin stood up at the fence, raising his hand in a quick greeting.

"Good to see you, Catene. Ready to go?"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: the Dragonriders of Pern is copyright to Anne McCaffrey.

* * *

"Did it even occur to you to bring a rope with you from the Weyr?"

The annoyance in Catene's now rather melodious voice, was quite obvious as she tilted her head to look at B'riin. With a sigh, she then looked away to watch the frightened herdbeasts in the far end of the field for a few moments.

"With a bit of thought, you might have remembered that the skin of me and my kind is rather slippery, and staying 'onboard' with nothing to hold on to once we're in the air would be quite impossible. The only option that leaves us, is for me to carry you" she said.

B'riin simply nodded, knowing that it wasn't a point in trying to make any excuses, though he couldn't help but be rather annoyed at himself. He had been carried by a dragon in flight a few times in the past, rather than riding at its back. Held by a dragon's hands like little more than a piece of prey, was a rather unnerving experience.

Sitting back, the young dragon stretched out an arm, the palm of her almost human-like hand pointing up.

B'riin gave a sigh, and he was just about to move from the fence and onto Catene's hand, when the dragon's nostrils suddenly flared. Something bright seemed to flash from between the dragon's jaws, and there was a startled shout-- seconds before Jesece came stumbling out between the trees nearby.

"What in the name of the Four are you thinking?"

Her voice quite efficiently drowning anything less than flattering that Jesece might have said in response to the slight shock she had been on the receiving end of, Catene's wings flexed as she gave Jesece an angry look.

Rubbing her upper arm, where the fabric of the jacket she was wearing seemed to be slightly singed, Jesece angrily pulled a hand through her hair as she glared back at Catene, muttering something under her breath. Then she straightened herself, throwing a coil of rope that she had been carrying onto the ground, "unlike a certain someone, I actually thought to bring something for a makeshift harness. Besides, you know that I have a bit of photomancy, I would be more useful than Beriin. Seoracth didn't mind at all that I left to go with you".

The tip of her tail twitching and her yellow eyes taking on a steely edge, Catene listened to the young human woman as she spoke. Other than that though, there wasn't much of a warning-- something hardly visible darting from the dragon's suddenly extended arm to Jesece. And with a soft sigh, she fell to the ground, clearly completely out cold.

"She should be safe enough here. While I consider her a friend, there are limits to what I'm going to tolerate from her in a situation such as this one, try to use that rope for a makeshift harness and then let's go!"

A bit surprised by what had happened, but rather relieved that he wouldn't be stuck with Jesece, B'riin wasted no time in complying. Quickly putting one loop of rope around the dragon's upper arms, he stretched the ends of the rope up at either side of her neck and secured it with a strong knot. Rather simple maybe, but it would have to do-- at least it would keep him from falling.

* * *

The matter of taking off, had not been pleasant, nor particulary elegant. Hooking the rope with his feet and with a death-like grip on either side of the knot, B'riin had flattened himself along Catene's neck and held on for dear life as she made the first almost neck-snapping leap into the air. After that, it hadn't been quite so bad though, even if the telekinesis-assisted 'flight mode' made his head buzz. It was one thing going that fast when safe in the cabin of a jet, sitting exposed at the neck of a dragon was quite a different experience, even if Catene made an excellent job of shielding him.

Neither did he see much, at those very few times he dared to look down, the ground was little more than a carpet of blacks and greys rushing past at a uncanny speed.

"We are approaching the spot, can't say that I like the looks of things," Catene finally said after what felt like and eternity, just as he felt that their speed was slowing. And angling one wing, she banked-- giving B'riin a good view of what waited for them a few kilometers ahead.

Below was a chillingly wide path, scoured clean of trees and rubble by something huge, patches of flame still flickering along it. Then, at the end of it, was something huge-- a metallic hull gleaming faintly in the light of torches and fires made by those investigating it. It was really too dark and distant to make out any details, though he felt himself frown as Catene informed him of that there was no identifying markings on the ship.

Neither did its form offer any spesific clues, the ship being a plain, triangular structure that was mass produced-- bought and used by countless planets out there. A transport ship most likely, but it could belong to anyone beyond that.

"Oh, not good, not good at all-- they are entering the ship. Who knows what they might make of the crew if there are one, if they aren't human..."

Catene's head swung back and forth-- she was clearly torn about the matter. Obviously they couldn't go closer, even from where they were circling, the dragons already there and those coming in to land were obvious. They were already in danger of being spotted, and going any closer was out of the question, even with everything that was at risk...

:_You're damned right about that, now get down here before you make an even bigger mess out of this!_:

Faltering in her flight, Catene's entire body shuddered in reaction to the angry mental call, and B'riin couldn't quite hold back a startled sound either. However, most of it was caught in his throat at the next movement made by Catene, the dragoness suddenly folding her wings to dive downwards much too steeply for his taste. Somehow she did manage to stop in time though, and part of B'riin knew that he had to be as pale as a ghost as they descended the last few meters to the ground.

Fortunately in a much more controlled fashion.

"Consider yourself lucky that you weren't seen. Those poor pernese have enough to handle already, with that ship and..gods know what they might find in there. Impossible to say how they might have reacted to a dragon who's clearly not like their own flying about like you did".

Giving both Catene and B'riin a scorching look, a tall, red haired woman dressed much like a dragonrider came walking out between some trees just meters from where Catene had landed. Then, right behind her came a yak-like herdbeast, and though it remained quiet, its eyes seemed to hold as much intelligence as the woman it had arrived along with.

"I am aware of that," Catene said, lowering her head slightly, "what do you suggest that we do though? Quarantine has been throughoutly broken in just about any possible way, neither may whoever that is onboard that ship be friendly".

Suddenly alarm pulsed through their minds, carried to them by the pernese dragons at the crash site, as their riders and the holders accompanying them made just the discovery it had been hoped that they wouldn't.

The image of a familiar creature, but made into something horribly half-human and half-dragon by those finding it, burned in B'riin's mind. Even less welcome though, was the insignia at the suit it carried, one that did not bode well.


End file.
